State should not back faith schools

THE Government and the National Schools Advisory Council should vehemently oppose the establishment of religiously-biased or themed schools.

If the State guarantees not to endow any religion in the constitution, then it should not establish such schools or give them support. After all, such schools are blatantly sectarian and are one of the root causes of the partition of our island.

The State should be extremely cautious also about sanctioning ‘Irish-only’ schools that are opposed to teaching English, but argue hypocritically for bilingualism in all other schools.

This nonsense must be put down as a dangerous form of linguistic fundamentalism dependent on massive public funding.

Schools are places of learning, not institutions designed to enshrine a particular religion or language at taxpayers’ expense.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin should consider whether ‘patronage’ should carry with it the right to dictate religious education in a school and how far this should go in discriminating against non-religious people.

The Government should do more to establish secular or community schools, without the slightest hint of religion or language indoctrination, based purely on educational merit and with a broad mix of management.

Ms Hanafin should not establish new schools for token purposes based on religion just because we happen to have higher numbers from a particular demographic .

If children grow up on a diet of religious indoctrination in publicly-funded schools, we stand little chance of removing old prejudices and divisions.

Maurice Fitzgerald

Shanbally

Ringaskiddy

Co Cork